Full Bloom

what friends are for."
    Emily's mouth curved. "To embarrass myself in front of?"
    "Come on. We have no secrets from each other. If you can't tell me, who can you tell?"
    "You may be right." Emily sighed. "Jacob turned up evidence that Damon Morrell intended to marry me in order to gain control of my shares in Ravenscroft International."
    "Evidence? Stone found actual proof? How?"
    "There was a nasty little tape recording he made at a restaurant. On it is a conversation between Damon and a woman named Marcia."
    "Who's Marcia?"
    "Damon's mistress, apparently. He took her to lunch and explained to her that she wasn't to be jealous of what he was planning to do. He intended to marry me long enough to gain control of my RI shares and then he intended to get divorced and marry Marcia. In addition to the tape, there were also a couple of incriminating memos Damon sent a couple of years ago vowing vengeance on Ravenscroft, regardless of what it took or what it cost. Apparently his dislike of RI goes beyond the normal feelings of a competitor. He hates my family and the firm."
    Diane's mouth fell open. "How strange. Why does he hate Ravenscroft?"
    "I don't know. Something to do with a bid Morrell lost a couple of years ago. My father and brother didn't want to burden me with the whole sordid tale, naturally. They consider me very naive when it comes to the harsh realities of big business. All they're concerned about is making sure I don't marry Damon."
    "Did you tell them you hadn't planned to marry him?"
    Emily smiled, the first smile reflecting genuine humor since she had walked into her father's study. "Are you kidding? I had to salvage something from the fiasco. I decided not to give any of them, including Jacob Stone, the satisfaction of knowing they didn't have to worry about me marrying Damon. Let them stew about it for a while. I'm sick and tired of them interfering in my life."
    The phone on the counter rang just as Diane opened her mouth to demand more answers. Emily picked up the receiver.
    "Emily's Garden."
    "There you are, dear. I tried your apartment, but you'd already left."
    "Hello, Mom," Emily said crisply. "I'm a little busy. What can I do for you?"
    "I just wanted to make sure you were all right and that everything had been taken care of," Catherine Ravenscroft said soothingly. "Your father and I were a little worried about you. You seemed so upset when you left last night."
    "Upset? Did I seem upset? I can't imagine how you got that impression. Why should I have been upset?" Emily kept her voice artificially light and taunting. She could visualize her mother's frown on the other end of the line.
    "Now, Emily, you know we only want what's best for you. You were on the verge of making a terrible mistake. Just as you did that time you got involved with Carlton. Come to think of it, you've never really shown good judgment when it comes to men. I remember that boy with the motorcycle back when you were in high school…"
    "Bobby Hadley? Give me a break, Mom. Bobby was a decent kid. Besides, I was interested in his bike, not him. You never gave him a chance. You wouldn't even let him in the house, much less let me go out with him."
    "How did we get off on the subject of Bobby Hadley?" her mother wanted to know. "I was talking about Morrell. You must understand, dear, that we simply couldn't allow you to get any more involved with Damon Morrell. I hope Jacob had a nice long talk with you on the drive back to Seattle last night. He's always so good at making people see reason."
    "I hate to tell you this, but I dozed most of the way. Jacob's a good driver. Since I didn't have to worry about watching the road, I napped."
    "Emily, what's the matter with you? You've become increasingly stubborn and difficult during the past couple of years. Ever since your grandmother died and you opened that shop, you've been changing. I don't know what's gotten into you."
    "Maybe the problem is that I'm no longer a little girl, Mom."
    "I will assume that you've still got enough sense to be reasonable about this situation with Damon Morrell," Catherine said frostily. "I will also assume that you will be attending your father's birthday party in two weeks."
    "That's a big assumption."
    "Emily!"
    "Oh, stop worrying. Of course I'll be at the party. I wouldn't want you to send Jacob Stone out to collect me, would I?"
    "I don't know what you have against Jacob. He's always been such a good, reliable employee," Catherine said in